Fastener for gloves



fNo Model.)

- G. E. "ADAMS.

FASTENER FOR GLOVES.

No. 558,580. Pa-tentedApr. 21, 1396.

ANDREW lGRAHlM. PHUTU-UHQWASHINGTUNDL llwirn STAT-Ens SrEORGE E. ADAMS, OF NEWV BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

FASTEN ER FOR GLOVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,580, dated April 21, 1896.

Application filed January 25, 1896. Serial No. 576,833. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. ADAMS, of New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners for Gloves and other Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference bein g had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of fasteners for gloves and other aticles in which the device is composed of two principal portions namely, a socket portion and a stud portion and broadly relates to that species in which the stud is made rigid and the walls of the socket portion which cooperate with the stud are made resilient or yielding, so as to permit of the ready joining or separation of the parts and yet prevent their accidental disengagement. Various excellent devices of this sort have heretofore been produced, but the more efficient ones that have come under my notice have consisted of many parts and have occupied more space than was apparently necessary. Aside from economy of manufacture, which is of course secured by the reduction of the amount of stock used, the number of pieces required and the number and character of the manipulations that are necessary in the production of the article, the principal points of merit in a device of this kind are that it shall occupy little vertical space or be narrower in the dimension known as thickness, that there shall be no looseness between the parts when united, that there shall be no drawing or creeping of the material from around the openings made in the material for the accommodation of the members of the fastening, especially around the opening in which the socket member is secured, and that the outer or socket member may present sufficient area to afford a proper surface for the application of pressure of the thumb in closing. the fastening. Ilavin g all these points in mind, I have produced the fastener shown in the accompanying drawings, which seems to me to more nearly approximate the ideal device.

Figure 1 represents a fastener applied to a glove, the wrist portion of the glove being shown thrown open to expose the upper part of the lower or stud element and the under part of the upper or socket element. Fig. 2 represents a cross-section of the socket portion, showing both the details of its construction and the manner in which its attachment to the material of the glove is effected. Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective of the socket portion. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the stud member. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation showing the cooperating parts of the fastener closed together or united. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modification in which is embodied a washer of peculiar construction placed beneath the turned-back ends of the body portion of the socket. Fig. 0 is a bottom plan view of the socket portion.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The letter A represents the stud member of the fastener, which is of ordinary well-known construction, and therefore needs no particu' lar description herein further than to mention that its post or stud proper is made perhaps shorter than usual and its contracted part or neck (0 commences close to its base, in order that the cooperating edges of the socket portion may take a bearing as low down on the stud as practicable, so as to bring the overlapped portions of the glove close together.

B is the socket portion of the fastener, consisting of whatIterm the main socket member, having an outwardly-extending flange b at its upper end, and a body portion tapered inwardly from the said flange b and slitted longitudinally, so as to form separate resilient parts Z), that are turned outwardly at b, so as to form bearings for cooperating with the neck of the stud portion of the fastener and then turned upwardly so that their extremities shall press firmly against or into the material of the glove or other article, and thus prevent said material from pulling away or creeping away from the socket portion and permitting the latter to become loosened.

In order that the turned-back end portions of the resilient parts 12 may present a rounded finished appearance, I may insert beneath said ends and between them and the material of the glove or other article a washer, which is preferably of concavo-convex form, as shown in the modification, Fig. 5, at C. The use of this washer or of any washer I do not regard as necessary, but as desirable. V

D is the top or cap of the socket element applied, when used at all, to the upper portion of the main socket member, the union of the two being effected by an inwardly-turned flange cl on the cap,which extends beneath the outwardly-turned flange Z) of the main socket member, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Although the cap D may be dispensed with, as is evident, I very much prefer to employ it in the construction of the socket portion, as it affords a slightly-crowning and sufficiently broad surface for the application of the pressure of the thumb to close the fastener, which surface may be left smooth or may bear the name or trade-mark of the manufacturer and receive such other decoration or ornamentation as fancy may dictate.

The operation of the device is as follows: Then the head of the stud A is inserted in the socket B, the resilient parts I) are all moved slightly outward, but sufficient in the aggregate to permit the head of the stud to pass the bearing-surfaces b As the head of the stud passes beyond the bearing-surfaces b the resilient parts return to their normal positions and the bearings b clasp the neck of the stud close to the base of the stud, as indicated in Fig. 4. In separating the parts of the fastener the reverse of these operations takes place, as will be readily understood.

I preferably form a sufficient number of resilient parts b to enable the fastener to be closed and opened readily. If the resilient portions are not enough in number, the action will be stiff, and I have found that the best results are obtained by making about six slits in the main socket member, which will produce six resilient parts.

Of course the amount of motion that each of the parts I) is given in the opening and closing of the fasteneris in itself very inconsiderable and not sufficient to cause it to release its hold upon the leather or fabric with which its end is engaged. On the contrary, the hold is retained and the leather or fabric remains in firm contact with it and partakes of such motion as is imparted to it.

As seen in Fig. 2, the entire socket element constructed in accordance with my invention occupies but little vertical space, or, in common parlance, is of little thickness, which renders it very desirable for use in a glove-fastener where any considerable projection or thickness is accounted objectionable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. In a glove-fastener, a socket memberconsisting of an eyelet having a substantially flat top flange and cap covering the same, the body of the eyelet below said flange being slitted to form a series of resilient arms inclined toward each other and forming a conical socket within the thickness of the mate rial of the glove and having their extremities turned outward and the ends seated in the material of the glove; substantially as de scribed.

2. In a glove-fastener, a socket member consistin g of an eyelet having a substantially flat integral top flange and cap covering the same, the body of the eyelet below said flange being slitted to form a series of resilient arms inclined toward each other and forming a conical socket within the thickness of the material of the glove, and a ring over which the extremities of said arms are bent and their ends seated in the material of the glove outside of the ring; substantially as described.

GEORGE E. ADAMS.

Witnesses:

JOHN P. BARTLETT, JOHN H. KIRKHAM. 

